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Quebec separatist movement
Essay on why quebec should not be independent
Quebec separated from Canada in 1980
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The PQ was formed on 1968 as a result of the merger of Mouvement Souveraineté-Association and the Ralliement national (Columbia Encyclopedia). The goal of the PQ was to obtain political, economic and social autonomy for the province of Quebec. From René Lévesque, to today’s party leader, Pauline Marois, the Parti Québécois has been in power five times, once a minority, and four times a majority government (Columbia Encyclopedia). The PQ has done a lot for Quebec over the little time they have been in power. They’ve helped Quebec rely less on the Canadian government, becoming more independent. The PQ, and future members, helped Quebec’s economy by urbanizing Quebec and starting an era of megaprojects. The PQ introduced policies like Bill 22 and Bill 101 to help make the French-speaking populous in Quebec feel less alienated in their own province. It is for these three reasons that this essay will argue that PQ helped Quebec become a better place for francophone’s.
“Vive le Quebec libre!” -Charles de Gaulle. The French President shouts while giving a speech at expo 67. De Gaulle’s speech gave the Quebec Independence Movement further public credibility, and gave the citizens of Quebec the impression that independence isn’t that ridiculous (Canadian Encyclopedia). In 1969, the FLQ stepped up its’ violent efforts and claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Montréal stock exchange, kidnapping the British trade commissioner, and killing the Quebec Labor Minister (Harold Waller). Jacques Parizeau or Rene Levesque never resorted to violence when trying to win Quebec’s independence; they strived to become independent using only diplomatic ways (Fraser, Graham). The Parti Québécois has led Quebecers through unsuccessful referendums t...
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...f Quebec Is Forced Radier A New Slice]." CBC Radio (2009): Canadian Reference Centre . Web.January 1 2014.
"De Gaulle and "Vive le Québec Libre"."Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. .
Fraser, Graham, and Ivon Owen. René Lévesque & the Parti québécois in power. Montreal [Ont.: McGill-Queen's University Press, 20011984. Print.
Lévesque, René. Memoirs. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1986. Print.
Godin, Pierre. René Lévesque. Montréal: Boréal, 19942005. Print.
Duclos, Louis . "globeandmail.com - Pierre Elliott Trudeau." globeandmail.com - Pierre Elliott Trudeau. N.p., 4 Feb. 2006. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
Bain, Colin M.. Making history: the story of Canada in the twentieth century. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print.
Although, Quebec’s population share many similar characteristics amongst one another it is not essential to decide “the people” (Heard, 2013). To be considered a state you must represent all the people in it. Quebec prefers independences for the reason of a commonality
"Quotes by Prime Ministers - Louis St. Laurent." canadachannel.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.
...ton, Pierre. Marching as to War: Canada's Turbulent Years, 1899-1953. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2001. Print.
“Just watch me.”Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau said in 1970. He meant it as he fought to keep Quebec a part of Canada. Not only did he do that, he managed to be prime minister for 16 years, as well as being Canada’s youngest leader at the time. He brought greater civil rights to Canadians, Quebec citizens mainly. His charismatic personality matched his innovative ideas, that enhanced Canada for the better. For his entire political career, not only did Canada watch him, the whole world watched him change the country for the better. He made a radical change to Canada by championing the idea of officially implementing bilingualism. Trudeau was a trailblazer from the moment he was elected.
To answer this, one must address the severity of the crisis, as well as the degree to which the War Measures Act would alleviate the situation. This proves to be an unexpectedly difficult task, as it is impossible to accurately capture the zeitgeist of such a turbulent time period without being subject to bias. However from a purely objective standpoint, the evidence clearly identifies that there was no insurrection, nor was one likely to take place. Trudeau relied heavily on galvanizing the risk that the FLQ posed to the Canadian public. However, this came to be a detriment to his case when the supposed danger was discredited. According to most authorities, the FLQ “was a collection of scattered, radical grouplets who communicated amongst themselves with great difficulty and apprehension”(Conrad et al). It is of course, rather difficult to carry out widespread insurrection without a cohesive unit to do so. Trudeau’s speech relied heavily on the notion that the FLQ posed a greater threat than they realistically did, and by the end of the crisis it was clear that his claims were null. However, Trudeau did not operate alone in his endeavors. The crisis was rapidly escalated in scale by local and national media alike. The media “Fed the notion of a hydra head conspiracy, unknown, unknowable, but of course infinitely dangerous”, an error that almost did more to aid in the FLQ’s influence over the country, than it did to call in any sort of justifiable action (Bothwell, 447-50). This combined with rumors of Quebec dissolving their government due to the “severity” of the situation, a rumor that was initially reported to be started by Trudeau (although it was enforced by numerous parties”) in order to gain the support of the public for the actions he was preparing to take (Clement). It is generally agreed upon that War
English, John. Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2007. Print.
Some Quebecers thought that separation was the only solution. They thought that as long as Quebec was associated with the rest of Canada, French-Canadians would never be treated equal. The FLQ (Front De Libération Du Québec) was founded in 1963. It was a smaller, more forceful group of separatists. They were a collection of groups of young people whose idea was to use terrorism to
To decide what to do after Quebec separates, First Ministers and the ROC, must first look at why it happened. Perhaps Quebec's profound nationalism and unique national identity conflicted with citizens in the ROC; in order to gain understanding of their decision the ROC must look at Quebec's past. Quebec was not always treated fairly nor where they given many rights in regards t...
Patriquin, M. (2014, April 11). The epic collapse of Quebec separatism. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from Maclean’s website: http://www.macleans.ca/politics/the-epic-collapse-of-separatism/
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
...e to power in Quebec. This indicates that Quebecers supported non-violent methods in order to achieve independence for Quebec, rather than the violent methods of the FLQ, also indicating that the efforts of the FLQ would have been subdued by the Parti Quebecois. The death of Pierre Laporte was another unfortunate occurrence as a result of the War Measures Act which could have been avoided, yet some still believe his death is not related to the invocation of the War Measures Act. Justification is required for all actions which spark debate, and in events where the justification is provided under false pretences, someone must be held responsible. In this case it remains the Trudeau government. Trudeau may have had an admirable political career in which he made many wise decisions, however, the invocation of the War Measures Act in October 1970 was not one of them.
Canada experienced the revolution of changing politics and new ideologies, it was a necessary wave
In conclusion Canada gained independence because of a series of events that took place during the twentieth century. If it hadn’t been for these events, Canada to this day might have been a part of the British Empire. Through discussion on the Chanak affair we signalled that we wanted autonomy. Through our hard work and lives, the world knew we had the ability to stand alone as a strong nation. While, our international reputation of being a “peacekeeping” country the right to stand as an independent self-governing nation. But finally through the Canada Act, we stood solely independent from our Empire. It is obvious that the twentieth century provided us with great chances to become an independent strong nation.
... Ed. W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris. Toronto, Canada: A Canadian Scholar? Press, 2000.